Complaint Review: Keener Auto Repair - Scottsdale Georgia

I have been dealing with Steve Keener for years and have never ever known Steve to be dishonest. This is the man I trust with my Toyota Tundra as well as every other car I've owned during the last decade. Steve, or his son Brad listen to my complaint, then check the car out on their own and call me with a parts and labor estimate.. I heard a pinging noise once thinking my converter was clogged and Steve showed me that it was just a bracket vibrating, it wasn't his fault, but he fixed it for me at no charge! He won my business when he figured out my brake problem, three other local shops could not, but Steve and Brad knew I was having a proportioning valve issue causing uneven braking. I'd trust Keener Automotive with any vehicle I drive, or any that my family drives.. He is that honest! 

Now as far as the plug breaking off, who put the plugs into the vehicle?? It sounds to me as if the one that put them in last over-tightened them and failed to use anti-seize compound.  How did you know that two wouldn't come out?? Were you working on your vehicle yourself and realized you couldn't get them out? Did you then decide to pawn the problem off to Keener Auto?? If he wasn't the last person to install the plugs, he didn't cause the problem. Yours is a common problem yes, but Steve's shop didn't create the problem... Did you want him to just leave the bad plugs in?? Did you tell him which plugs wouldn't come out?? What were you expecting when you dropped the car off?? Do you think mechanics have a magic want they waive to fix your problem?? Did he put a lien on your car for not paying your bill?? I would have! How can you in good faith not pay the man for trying to fix your f*** up??? 

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when the owner arrived at my shop her integra was running on two cylinders. she did inform me of two spark plugs being stuck in head. i warned her of the risk of trying to remove them, but she authorized the repair anyway. i was able to remove on but the other one broke. i tried for an hour to remove the broken plug but was unable to remove it. i told he the only fix was to remove the head and drill out the plug or replace the head. she declined the repair stating she could not afford it and attempted to drive the car home. i finally convinced her to have the car towed instead of driving it. when the wrecker arrived to pick up the car she promptly left without paying her bill. i felt bad for her and did not try to collect for any work performed. this car showed signs of extreme neglect. she later called me demanding that i pay to have the motor repaired at the acura dealership, stating that nobody else would work on the car. i reminded her of the conversation we had prior to working on the car. she denied the conversation and accused me of ruining her car. i was not able to convince her otherwise. i have a reputation for good customer service and qallity repairs.

We all know exactly what you are saying, except the part about him lying to the BBB, which you didn't give much detail on. Of course they didn't break by themselves, yes he broke them when he was trying to remove them. Because again, they were siezed in the engine. Who's fault is that? Certainly not his. Most of the time it happens because people wait too long to change the plugs. Like mentioned above, with the 100,000 mile spark plugs they are now advertising shops will be seeing alot more of this happening, and they will be selling more coils as well. Anyhow, you said that you told him 2 of the plugs would not come out, appearantly you, or someone you know, already tried. It's very possible that whoever tried used too much force and started the damage to the stuck plug. Then when the mechanic applyed gentle pressure trying to remove the plug, it broke. Even if you had said "Now, now. These two won't come out, so don't break them, okay,? the results would have been the same. Every mechanic I have seen removes and installs ALL spark plugs as carefully, and gently as possible, knowing that damage can occur if you are too rough. One that is siezed takes extra care, but if it's going to break it's going to break. If they are stuck it's because you left them in there too long, not his fault, or because the last person installed them incorrectly, also not his fault. The only thing I can say is perhaps he should have written up a disclaimer when you said two of them were stuck, or told you ahead of time that it might happen and that he cannot be responsible for it.

The plug didn't just snap on its own. The mechanic broke it while removing it. If I knew I had to say "Now, now. These two won't come out, so don't break them, okay,? then I would have. Plus, the fact that he lied to the BBB speaks volumes. Moral of the story: certification means nothing, find someone who is careful and considerate.

Some of the new cars claim to have 100K (mile) capable spark plugs. Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Click & Clack) said it best. Within the 100K miles the plugs would necessairly have to be removed, re-antiseized, and reinstalled. They state, and I totally agree, if a spark plug remains in an engine (particularly with aluminum heads) for 100K miles the spark plugs will become one with the cylinder head(s). 'Ya ain't gunna' get 'em out, Holmes! I have a Dodge with a 3 litre Mitsubishi (aluminum head) engine. Right now, I have my fingers crossed as the rear 3 plugs have less than half the threads remaining in the cylinder head. The plugs were ALWAYS religiously installed with copious amounts of anti-sieze to no avail. About two years ago better than half the cylinder head threads came out with the rear 3 plugs. The only thing saving my a$$ is the fact the threaded portion of the plugs is quite long. I'm hoping the next owner deals with the heli-coil repairs. Aluminum cylinder heads. 'ya gotta' love 'em!

You brought a car in that you knew had a problem that you couldn't fix, and they attempted it the best way they knew and the plug snapped. It's still your problem, it will just take more time and more money to fix. I'm curious, who put those plugs in the car? Was it the factory or were they changed along the life of the car by some ape with a breaker bar that doesn't know what antiseize compound is? The ASE means nothing to this story unless an ASE is the guy that galled the plugs.